


A Hallmark Ending

by TeaTimee



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: A Princess for Christmas but i made it gay, Damie Discord Holiday Exchange, F/F, Kinda, Slow Burn, because thats what we deserve, the Hallmark Christmas movie everyone wanted - dont lie you wanted one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28471155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaTimee/pseuds/TeaTimee
Summary: Dani Clayton is the legal guardian to Miles and Flora Wingrave after their parents died two years ago at Christmas time. She loses her job right before Christmas, the kids are fighting and the events of last Christmas are still hanging over them. Then Owen, an employee of the children’s wealthy grandfather, Henry Wingrave, appears on their doorstep and invites them to spend Christmas at Bly Manor, the Wingrave estate. Dani is sceptical at first, because Henry cut the children’s father, Dominic, out of his life when he married Dani’s sister. Owen tells her that Henry has changed and wants to make amends and she eventually agrees.When they arrive at the manor Dani is introduced to the other occupants. Eddie, Henry’s other son, the housekeeper Hannah and the manor’s gardener, Jamie Taylor.Dani hasn't thought about anything but her niece and nephew's happiness in the last year but as she gets to know Jamie she begins to think, what about her happiness?This is a gift for the Damie Discord Holiday ExchangeI have finished writing this so it will be updated regularly!
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie, Hannah Grose/Owen Sharma, background though
Comments: 13
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Orianna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orianna/gifts).



> This story is based off A Princess for Christmas, a cheesy Hallmark movie with Katie McGrath in it. Obviously I made it gay though.

Dani Clayton was close to tears. It was actually a miracle that she had been able to keep it together for this long if she was being honest with herself. Today had been the last day before the schools let out for Christmas break and she had just closed up her classroom when her boss had called her into his office and told her in no uncertain terms that she would not be able to return to work at the end of the holidays. There simply wasn’t money in the budget to allow for her to continue her position.

Because she had been held back past her usual finishing time in order to be let go, she was then late to pick up Miles and Flora. On top of all of that, Miles had decided it was the perfect time to find out exactly how far he could push his little sister. This had ended with Flora in tears on the living room floor, clutching the body of Poppy, her favourite doll, in one hand and it’s newly severed head in the other. After a while, Dani had managed to calm Flora down and then had a long conversation with Miles about his actions before leaving them both in their rooms and heading into the kitchen.

She was currently standing by the counter, watching red liquid from the wine glass she had just knocked over creep past shards of broken glass on the kitchen tiles. She took a deep breath and tried to fight back the tears that had been brewing behind her eyes all evening, picking up a kitchen towel and starting on the mess of wine and smashed glass in front of her. 

Just as she was depositing the last of the glass in the kitchen’s bin, the doorbell rang. Dani frowned, turning to check the clock that hung above the kitchen table. She hadn’t been expecting anyone and it was too late for carolers. 

She headed down the hall, praying that she would be able to get rid of whoever it was quickly and easily. She could pour herself a new glass of wine and settle on the couch for the night. She planned to watch her favourite Hallmark movie and maybe (finally) cry a little. She took one last deep breath and pulled open the front door. 

A tall man with a bushy moustache and glasses stood on her doorstep, he was dressed in a thick leather jacket with a cable knit sweater underneath, his dark hair curled up at the front with a large cowlick. 

“Sorry to bother you so late, I’m looking for Danielle Clayton?” He spoke with an English accent, the kind you might hear in a movie.

“Dani,” she corrected him, crossing her arms and leaning on the doorframe as she spoke, “What do you need?” She normally wasn’t so flippant towards total strangers, especially ones like the kind-looking man who stood before her right now, but after the day she’d had, she didn’t have the mental capacity for small talk.

The man hesitated, eyes flitting towards the metal number seven fixed to the wall next to the door as if double-checking he had the right house. 

“Are you the Aunt of Miles and Flora Wingrave?” 

Dani was immediately concerned, she pushed herself off the doorframe and eyed the man warily, “Yes, why?”

“My name is Owen,” the man introduced himself, “I work for Henry Wingrave.” 

Dani felt the hint of an age-old anger set in her bones and shook her head, “Look, whatever it is, we’re not interested. He forfeited his right to contact us when he cut off his son for marrying my sister.” 

“That’s why I’m here.” 

Dani had been about to step back and close the door but Owen’s words caused her to hesitate. 

He took the opportunity and ran with it, “Mr Wingrave sent me to invite the three of you to his manor in Bly for Christmas. He wants to make amends and would love a chance to get to know his grandchildren.”

Dani shook her head, there was no way, “We’re not going all the way to England-” 

“Oh please, Aunt Dani!” 

Dani turned to see Flora standing at the end of the hall in her pink nightgown, her doll perched in her arms, it’s neck ringed haphazardly with duct tape. Miles stood behind her.

“Mr Wingrave? Is that dad’s dad?” He asked curiously.

Dani rubbed a hand over her forehead, “How long have you been listening for?”

“Not long!” Flora promised, hurrying down the hall towards her aunt, Miles close behind her, “Please can we go?”

Flora was at her side now, looking up at her with large brown eyes. Dani looked at her niece, Flora bore such a striking resemblance to her mom sometimes, Dani thought and she felt her heart thump painfully in her chest.

“Sweetheart,” Dani knelt down and put her hand on Flora’s arm, “Grandpa Wingrave wasn’t very nice to your mom and dad,” She looked over at Miles, “and it’s very expensive to fly to England, we don’t have the money to go even if we wanted too.” 

Both children looked crestfallen at the news and Dani felt horrible. She was just about to apologise when Owen spoke up.

“Henry has already paid for your airfares, he also sent a cheque to cover any travel expenses.”

Dani saw Miles and Flora light up and hated that she had to shoot down their hopes for the second time that night. She stood and turned to Owen. 

“That doesn’t change how he treated us over the last eleven years.”

“For what it’s worth, I really believe he regrets what he did.” Owen’s expression was sincere and Dani found that she really wanted to believe him. 

“Aunt Dani,” Miles was looking up at her with a thoughtful expression, “You always say we believe in second chances in this family. If Grandpa Wingrave is asking for one, shouldn’t we at least let him try?” 

Dani sighed, sometimes Miles spoke like an old man instead of a nine-year-old boy. 

Since the accident, it had just been the three of them, the idea of having a family again made something deep inside her tug at the bottom of her heart. It would be their second Christmas without Charlotte and Dominic, though last year’s had hardly counted. The holiday had been soaked in grief, most of the presents under the tree that year brought and wrapped by hands the three of them had last seen cold and stiff, folded neatly over still chests inside the silk padding of two matching coffins.

Dani had been determined to make this Christmas one to remember, a celebration of the little family she had left. She had hoped to make the holiday special for Miles and Flora in an effort to reclaim at least some of the happiness Christmas had brought in years before. And here was this man, standing on her doorstep, offering her the opportunity to do just that. 

Maybe Henry really did want a relationship with his grandchildren, and if that were true, didn’t she owe it to Miles and Flora to at least give them the chance to get to know him?

“You’re right Miles.” Dani conceded, looking down at her nephew.

“So we can go?” Flora asked, her hopeful expression matched Miles’ almost perfectly.

Dani hesitated, there was still the possibility that this whole thing could be a scam, or could blow up in her face. She wasn’t sure how well the kids would cope with losing another family member so soon after their parents. What if Henry changed his mind or was horrible to them once they got there? Not to mention the fact that this whole thing would mean flying to a completely different country to stay with a man they had never met in a place she assumed was in the middle of nowhere.

“I’ll think about it.” She decided, “It's the best I can do for now.”

* * *

It had taken Dani an hour longer than usual to get the kids to bed. They were both so excited about going away for the holidays, even though she had told them multiple times that she had yet to make a decision, that they may well still be spending Christmas in Iowa. 

Dani looked up from her glass of wine, eyes trailing over the envelope containing the offered airline tickets and cheque from Henry on the coffee table. Owen had scrawled his number on the bottom corner and told her he had been instructed to assist them in any way they would need and to give him a call once a decision had been made.

Her eyes trailed up past the fireplace and landed on a small framed portrait hanging on the wall above. It was an old photograph of Charlotte and Dominic, both wrapped in scarves and bundled into warm coats. They stood with their hands clasped together, Charlotte’s head thrown back in a laugh, the trees around them dropping red and orange leaves.

Dani’s breath shuddered through her and the tears she had been holding back began rolling down her cheeks, she pulled her legs up underneath her on the couch and wiped her face. 

“I miss you, Char, so much. I don’t know what to do, I’m trying so hard with the kids but sometimes it just-” Dani’s tears came faster now, “you were always better at this stuff than I was.”

Charlotte had been a parent long before she had Miles and Flora, she had been the one who bandaged Dani’s knees and held her in the middle of the night after Dani crept into her bed following a nightmare. She had been the one to pull Dani upstairs and hide them away in a cupboard when their mom had too much to drink, which was often. She’d been the first person Dani would call whenever anything went wrong. She had always been there with advice or a helping hand when Dani needed it.

For so many years it had been them against the world. 

Now it was just Dani.

“I just wish you were here, I wish you could tell me what I should do.”

* * *

“It’s a castle!” Flora gasped as the car rounded a final bend and the house came into view. 

It wasn’t a castle, though it also wasn’t surprising that Flora, who had never seen a house with more than two floors, had thought it could be. The manor was enormous, manicured bushes lined the gravel driveway that led up to the large oak door and Dani swore she caught a glimpse of a waist-high hedge maze behind a garden of rose bushes. 

Bly Manor was an elegant old house, easily a few hundred years old by the look of it. It was built in a gothic style with large windows and walls covered with crawling ivy. Dani knew she would need to give Miles a firm warning about staying away from that. She counted eight chimneys that she could see from this side, no doubt there were more hidden behind the sloping roofs towards the back of the mansion. 

“It’s amazing,” Miles agreed with his sister and Dani was suddenly struck by the thought of the sheer amount of expensive antiques a house like this was bound to hold. 

“It’s a nightmare!” she exclaimed, turning to face Miles and Flora, who were perched in the back seats of Owen’s car, “Kids, you can’t break anything here!” 

Miles and Flora were too excited to acknowledge their aunt agonizing over the thousands of dollars worth of breakage they were liable to cause over the course of the trip. They were pressing their noses up against the car windows to get a better look at the approaching building.

The house was as grand on the inside as it was out, a large staircase led up to a landing in the foyer and hallways branched off to the right and the left. The manor went back further than Dani had expected, and the foyer alone could fit most of their house back in Iowa quite comfortably. 

Their shoes squeaked on the polished floor as Owen led them through the front door. A woman stood in the middle of the room, obviously waiting to greet the guests. Dani couldn’t help but wonder if she and Owen were all the staff the manor had, two people didn’t seem enough to keep the enormous house so clean.

“Welcome,” The woman was tall and elegantly dressed in a red silk blouse with a striped skirt and she stepped forward to shake Dani’s hand.

“This is Hannah Grose, she’s the housekeeper here and a mighty fine one at that,” Owen introduced the dark-skinned woman and Dani noticed her cheeks flush slightly at his words.

“Mrs Grose, I present to you Dani Clayton and her niece and nephew, Miles and Flora.” Owen finished off the introductions with a flourish as the children also stepped forward to greet the housekeeper.

“The gardener, Jamie, is around here somewhere too, and Edmund, Henry’s son, will be back in time for dinner.” Owen put the bags he had insisted on carrying down on the floor and clapped his hands, “Speaking of, I’d better get started on that, I’m not just a trans-Atlantic chauffeur you know.” He winked at them and addressed Dani directly, “Do you need any more help with the bags?” 

Dani shook her head, “I think we can take it from here, thank you, Owen.” 

Owen nodded and disappeared through a door to the right and Hannah straightened up from shaking Flora’s hand, “I can take you to your rooms if you would like, Miss Clayton.”

“Call me Dani,” Dani offered, picking up her suitcase and backpack and gesturing for Miles and Flora to do the same. Hannah smiled at her and she led them up the right-hand staircase towards the east wing of the manor. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani meets Jamie.

They were late.

Hannah had said that dinner would start at eight and given Dani directions to the dining room. It was five past eight and Dani had completely forgotten where the housekeeper had told her to go. The house seemed deserted as Dani rushed down the hall.

“Miles! Flora!” She called behind her as she reached the stairs, “Hurry up!”

She took the stairs two at a time, if she could find the dining room first then she could come back for the kids. Dani reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around, “Did Hannah say right or left?” She muttered to herself before choosing at random and swinging around the stairs to the right, her momentum caused her to slip on the floorboards at the last second and she went careening forwards right into a person who had just emerged from a door beside the stairs.

“Oof,” The person grunted as Dani collided with them, she would have continued falling if strong arms hadn’t reached out to steady her, grasping her forearms tightly and pulling her upright. 

“Sorry!” Dani apologised, her breath catching as she looked up and saw the person in front of her for the first time. 

She was possibly the most beautiful woman Dani had ever seen. Dark auburn curls framed her delicate features and her hazel eyes sparkled as she grinned at Dani. She wore a pair of denim overalls with a grey printed t-shirt underneath and sturdy boots splattered with little flecks of mud. Her arms were bare, giving Dani a full view of her pale skin and the wiry muscles underneath. She looked to be about Dani’s age, maybe a year or two older and almost the same height. 

“You alright?” Her voice was smooth as honey and her accent made Dani weak in the knees. 

Dani could feel her face heating up and the woman finally released her. 

“I- Yes.” she managed to reply, “I’m Dani, Dani Clayton, ” she introduced herself, holding her hand out in front of her and secretly congratulating herself on not being  _ completely _ useless in the presence of a pretty girl.

“Jamie,” The woman replied, taking her hand. Her skin was soft and warm and Dani marvelled at the feel of their hands pressing together, “I’m the gardener.” 

Dani could have stood there all night, but no amount of pretty girls would change the fact that they were late for their first meeting with the kids’ grandpa.

“Do you know where the dining room is?” She could hear Miles and Flora’s footsteps above them, thundering towards the stairs.

Jamie nodded, tilting her head towards the other end of the room, “That door through there, then second to your right.”

“Aunt Dani?” Flora called from the stairs and Dani stepped back, smiling gratefully at Jamie.

“Down here!” she called up to the kids and turned to Jamie, mouthing a final ‘thank you’ before heading past the stairs towards the door the gardener had pointed out. 

“This way!” she waved at the kids as she flew past them, they had just reached the bottom of the stairs and hurried after her. She paused at the door to usher them through and caught sight of Jamie making her way across the foyer towards the main entrance. Dani offered a small wave and the gardener waved back, setting off a flutter in the blonde’s chest. Dani was still smiling as they slid past the open door to the dining room, almost missing it in their haste.

“Sorry we’re late,” Dani apologised as she herded the kids into the room, coming to a stop in front of the large wooden table that sat in the centre of the large room. Like the rest of the manor, the dining room was old and fancy. There was a large fireplace set along the right wall and paintings that probably cost more than Dani’s car back home were hung carefully around the room. There was rain was falling against the tall glass windows that lined the back of the room.

An older man in a suit had stood from his place at the head of the table, beside him a younger man was also scrambling to his feet, pushing his curly hair out of his eyes. His round glasses glinted in the light from the fireplace. 

“Not a problem,” he assured them, stepping past the chairs to greet them, “I’m Eddie.” He introduced himself, reaching out to shake Dani’s hand.

“Dani.” She replied in kind, watching Eddie break into a smile as he shook her hand.

“This is my father, Henry,” Eddie continued as the older man shuffled around the table and reached his side.

Flora looked up at the grey-haired gentleman, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity, “Are you our grandpa?” she asked him.

The old man looked slightly taken aback, “Yes, I suppose I am.” 

Flora wrapped her arms around his middle and Henry’s expression melted a little as he patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. Dani smiled as she observed the interaction. Flora had always seemed to possess an uncanny ability to make anyone fall instantly in love with her and Dani’s heart warmed as she watched Henry’s eyes soften as the little girl pulled away and beamed up at him.

“Does that mean you're our Uncle?” Miles addressed Eddie and the taller man smiled down at him.

“Yes, your father was my older brother,” Eddie explained, folding his hands neatly behind his back now that the introductions were over.

“Why don’t we sit?” Henry offered, gesturing to the table which held an enormous spread of food.

It took a few minutes for everyone to sit down and fill their plates. It was strange, Dani thought, how when Flora asked for someone to pass the potatoes and Eddie reached over to pass them to her, Dani felt a small twinge in her heart. He didn’t look all that similar to Dominic, but Dani saw a flash in that moment. Flora’s brow scrunched in concentration as she scooped potatoes from the bowl in Eddie's hands onto her plate. It was such a small gesture, but it made Dani realise how long it had been since anyone bar her aunt had helped the little girl with dinner.

“So,” Henry began a few moments later, setting down his knife and fork over the top of his half-finished dinner.

“I’d like to address the reason I invited you all here if that's alright with you, Miss- Dani.” Dani had told them both to drop the formalities being referred to as ‘Miss Clayton made her feel like she was back home in a classroom with 20 students, rather than at a family dinner. Henry seemed to be having a bit of a hard time adjusting to using her first name, whether that was out of an old habit of formality or just an effort to keep her at arm’s length, she wasn’t sure.

Dani put her cutlery down and nodded, the last half of the meal had been holding a stiff atmosphere, even the children could sense it if the lack of their usual chatter was anything to go by.

“Miles, Flora, this is important, so I’m gonna need you to listen.” Dani pulled the kids’ attention away from their plates (they had been suspiciously inspecting the Yorkshire puddings that Eddie had insisted they try) and they both looked expectantly from her to Henry.

“When your father told me he planned to marry your mother,” Henry paused, as if he was searching for the right words, “I wasn’t very… supportive. You see, I come from an old family and I was brought up with certain expectations, certain rules. When Dominic fell for Charlotte, he broke all of those rules. Your mother had no title, no money and I felt that she was unsuitable for my son.”

Dani bristled at his words but the old man ploughed on, his hands folded delicately in his lap as he spoke.

“When I heard of the accident, I was heartbroken. It made me realise how much my pride had caused me to lose. I was wrong to cut them off and I’m sorry that it took me so long to realise that.” His eyes were bright and watery and he blinked a few times.

“So why did it take you a year to contact us then?” Miles asked pointedly, he had placed his cutlery on the tablecloth beside his plate and Dani was sure that brown stain wouldn’t be easy to remove from the linen.

Henry shot Dani a look as if to ask what she was going to do about her nephew's impertinence. Dani shrugged and raised an eyebrow at him. If he wanted to have a relationship with his grandchildren, he should be completely honest with them both and answer any questions they had. 

Henry glanced at Eddie for help next but his son was suddenly extremely interested in his peas. Miles and Flora were both staring intently at their grandpa, Flora had a smear of gravy on her cheek but it did nothing to alleviate the intimidating stare she had levelled at the old man.

“I’m afraid I’d have to blame my pride again for that one,” Henry relented finally, “Edmund encouraged me to take the first step.”

Dani glanced at Eddie, from the look on his face she gathered that he had done more than just encourage the old man. She suspected (and maybe a tiny bit of her hoped) it had involved a swift kick up the backside.

“In any case,” Henry finished, “I’m very glad you agreed to come.”

He glanced at Dani when he said that and she nodded, picking up her cutlery and returning to her food. Miles and Flora followed suit. 

The rest of dinner was pleasant, if slightly awkward. Henry had obviously not been around children for a long time and conversation on his part was slightly stunted, though Dani could tell he was trying. Soon enough, Miles and Flora turned to ask Eddie all about life at the manor and in England in general. That particular conversation somehow ended with him promising them both an archery lesson. Eddie assured Dani would be totally safe, she had eventually caved under the twin puppy eyes from her niece and nephew.

Dinner wrapped up and everyone bid each other goodnight, Dani led Miles and Flora back to their rooms to start getting ready for bed. During the meal, the storm outside had picked up and the rain turned to sleet, causing the inside of the windows of the manor to fog up.

“Aunt Dani?” Flora hopped up on her bed and wriggled under the covers, pulling Poppy under the covers beside her.

Flora’s room looked like something out of a children’s book, her bed was an old four-poster with rabbits carved into the wood. A pink canopy stretched overhead and curtain-like muslin drapes tied with pink ribbons hung around it. The rest of the room was decorated similarly, all pink and definitely princess themed.

Miles’ room was pretty much the same, except in blue with an obvious nautical theme. Dani suspected that Henry had just hired a decorator and told them to go for it. She would have objected to the obvious gendering of both spaces if she had been consulted, but it was too late now.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Dani sat down on the bed and brushed a strand of Flora’s hair from her face. 

“There’s no Christmas decorations in the house. Me and Miles looked before dinner, how are we supposed to have Christmas, if there's not even a tree?” She was clutching Poppy to her chest now, her head still tentatively held to the rest of the body with now peeling tape. Dani made a mental note to ask Hannah or Owen if they knew how to sew, or at least had some strong glue. 

“I’m sure there must be one somewhere, it’s a big house.” Dani assured her, “I’ll have a look tonight.”

“Aunt Dani?” Dani turned to see Miles standing in the door of the bathroom that connected his bedroom to Flora’s. She put her arm out, gesturing for him to join them on the bed, he padded over, his green pyjamas rustling in the quiet of the room. Dani moved up to lean against the headboard, Miles pulled himself onto the bed and leaned into her left side, Flora wriggled her way under Dani’s right arm. 

“What’s up?” Dani wrapped her arm around Miles. The storm rumbled outside.

“If Grandpa Wingrave wasn’t nice to mum and dad, do you think they'd be angry that we’re here?” His eyes were full of worry and Dani’s heart broke for him. 

She pulled him tighter against her and dropped a gentle kiss on top of his head, his hair still held the familiar scent of shampoo from his shower earlier that night and it made her feel a little less out of place in this big empty house. She was glad he’d thought of packing some.

“Of course not,” she replied, “Your mom and dad love you more than anything, they could never be mad at you.” Dani sighed, “I think your grandpa’s very sorry for the way he treated them and I think that they would want us to forgive him.” 

It was true, Dominic and Charlotte had never said a bad word about Henry, and she also knew that it wasn’t just because they rarely said a bad word about  _ anyone _ . Dominic especially had always made a point to send cards on Christmas and birthdays, even knowing he would most likely not receive an answer. He always  _ tried _ and he would have been delighted that his father was finally doing the same.

“It’s a big step for your grandpa to invite us here for Christmas.” She told the kids and they both nodded solemnly in understanding. They were too wise for their ages, had experienced too much in their short life spans and Dani hoped she was doing enough for them, hoped that doing  _ this _ would be good for them and not cause more heartache.

“I miss them,” Flora spoke quietly, looking up from where she was tucked into her aunt’s side, Dani felt Miles nod in agreement. 

Her eyes burned suddenly and she blinked back the beginnings of tears, pulling the kids closer, “Me too.” 

Dani lay with them for a while before kissing Flora goodnight and nudging Miles up so she could take him through the bathroom to his room. Both of them protested that they weren’t tired, they were still on Iowa time and it was only mid-afternoon for them, but Dani was firm. She had tried to get them to sleep on the plane in an effort to avoid it, but it hadn’t worked and going to sleep early tonight would help them beat their jet lag.

She closed the door as quietly as she could and made her way downstairs, deciding to start her search for the tree there. She had already seen the dining room and the foyer and there was less chance of her accidentally stumbling into someone’s room. She hoped all the sleeping quarters were upstairs. 

She was stepping out of the second fancy sitting room she’d found when a voice from behind made her jump.

“Wandering the halls at night, Poppins?”

Dani spun around to see the gardener-  _ Jamie _ , standing a few paces away, she was still in the same overalls from earlier but the clasp over one of her shoulders had come undone and was hanging loose, exposing the looping blue letters printed on the upper half of her shirt. Dani wasn’t a huge fan of Blondie but she recognised the band’s name. The gardener’s scuffed work boots were nowhere to be seen and instead she was wearing a pair of black socks, which explained why Dani hadn’t heard her approach. 

“Poppins?” Dani questioned, had she forgotten Dani’s name? She tried not to look disappointed at the thought, reminding herself that she had only met Jamie once and it had been very brief. It would be absurd for her to think she had left as big an impression on the gardener as she had on Dani. She was probably straight anyway, what were the chances of finding another queer woman so far out in the English countryside?

Jamie shrugged, “Pretty lady, looking after a little boy and girl, sounds pretty familiar to me.”

“Mary Poppins was a nanny, I’m Miles and Flora’s aunt.” she managed to point out despite the swooping sensation she felt in her stomach at Jamie calling her ‘pretty’. Maybe there was more chance than Dani had initially thought, she let her eyes track over Jamie once more, lingering on the rolled-up cuffs of her overalls and her short, plain nails. 

“Maybe so.” Jamie grinned cheekily at her and Dani found the corners of her mouth turning up as well, “You're avoiding my question.”

Dani looked up and met the gardener’s gaze, the lights lining the old hallway were dim and Jamie’s eyes seemed to shine in the yellow glow.

“I’m looking for the Christmas tree,” Dani replied, “or any decorations at all really.”

“Ah,” Jamie shook her head, slipping her hands in the pockets of her overalls, “Sorry to disappoint but you won’t find any.” 

Dani frowned, “Why? It’s almost Christmas.” 

“Christmas hasn’t been celebrated around here for a while now,” Jamie explained, “Eddie stopped coming home for it a few years ago and even before that it was pretty dismal. Henry doesn't like it much as far as I can tell.” 

Dani was shocked, Christmas with Charlotte and Dominic had always been an extravagant affair. They would buy far too many presents for Miles and Flora and hype the kids up on sugar, Dominic would pull his old Santa costume from the attic and sit under the tree on Christmas morning, handing out presents. There would be hours upon hours of prep done for their lunch and dinner, not to mention the amount of eggnog and mulled wine the adults consumed after the kids were put to bed.    
  
Dani’s mothers idea of Christmas had always been sitting by the fire with a bottle of cheap wine, complaining about how expensive the holiday was. She had always thought the enthusiasm had come from Dominic’s side of the family, apparently she had been wrong.    
  


Dani shook her head and set her jaw in a determined line, “Well there’s  _ no way _ I’m letting Miles and Flora miss out on Christmas. If Henry doesn't like that then too bad.”

Jamie chuckled, and stepped closer to Dani, leaning in conspiratorially, “In that case, you didn’t hear it from me but there are some pretty nice Christmas Markets over in the village,” she leaned back and shrugged, “and if a few boxes of decorations start  _ mysteriously  _ turning up in corners, I had  _ nothing _ to do with it.” She winked at Dani, pulling her hand from her pockets to brush her brown curls from her face.

Dani smiled back gratefully, warmth filling her chest. It was nice to know she had at least one ally in this old house and if that ally happened to be an extremely pretty gardener who  _ might _ be flirting a tiny bit, who was she to complain?

“Thank you, Jamie.” They seemed to have drifted closer to each other throughout the conversation and Dani realised Jamie was now within arms reach. If Dani were bold enough she could reach out and touch the gardener's face or take the hand dangling at Jamie’s side.

“Seriously, Poppins, do you know how hard it is to decorate a house as big as this alone?” Jamie looked at her in mock-seriousness, tilting her chin down and raising her eyebrows and Dani felt herself flush, suddenly unable to gather her thoughts together long enough to reply.

They stood in the hall for a moment, the old house creaking around them. Dani could hear the storm rattling through the trees outside and the sound of rain hitting the windows of the room behind her. Jamie opened her mouth, probably to bid her goodnight but Dani spoke first, unwilling to cut their interaction short.

“Can you show me the way back? This house is so, uh, big.” Dani was not a good liar and judging from the look Jamie gave her, hadn’t gotten any better in the last two seconds. Fortunately she didn't really care, she would have taken just about any excuse to spend a little more time getting to know the gardener.

“‘Course,” Jamie gestured down the hall in the opposite direction to the foyer, “This way.” 

Dani, who actually had a pretty good sense of direction and could have easily gotten back her room on her own, briefly considered the possibility that the gardener was leading her into the depths of the old house to murder her, she shook the thought from her head and suppressed a chuckle. The silence between them was comfortable, the only sound Dani could hear was the howling of the storm outside and Jamie’s feet padding softly against the carpet but she was burning with curiosity.

“So, do you live here?” Dani’s voice broke the silence and Jamie shook her head.

“Nah, I’ve got a little flat in Bly above the pub.” She answered, pulling a door open for Dani and following after her.

“Working late?” Dani asked, equal parts eager to keep the conversation going and curious about why Jamie was still here at almost ten pm, surely Henry didn’t keep his employees this late?

The gardener shook her head again, “It’s this bloody storm.” she explained, gesturing to a dark window, so battered with rain even if it had been light outside Dani doubted that she would have been able see anything of the view outside other than warped splashes of green and brown. 

They were in yet another sitting room and Dani came to a stop in the middle of the carpet, scanning the walls for an exit, the only door she could see was the one they had just entered through.

“The road to the village is shite and it’ll flood in a second so I’m stuck here for the night, not for the first time, mind you.” Jamie continued, her hands working over the wooden panels of the wall, “Bloody things all look the same.” she muttered quietly to herself. 

Dani was more confused than ever and was about to ask her what was happening when one of the panels gave a soft  _ click  _ and Jamie grinned, letting out a triumphant, “Ha!” as an entire section of the wall pushed inwards to reveal a passageway. She stepped forward and flicked a switch, old bulbs set into the walls flickered a few times before coming to life, lighting up the small, wood panelled corridor.

“Old servants walkway,” Jamie grinned when she caught sight of Dani’s shocked expression, “they’re not extremely common but apparently the folk who built the house a million years ago hated the working class so much they needed special secret passages so their servants wouldn’t be seen.”

She ushered Dani forwards into the passage, following closely. This space seemed older than the rest of the mansion, the old carpet under foot was threadbare and there was a thin film of dust over the sconces that held the lights.

There was a soft click behind her and Dani looked over her shoulder, Jamie had pulled the wall shut behind them, closing them off to the rest of the house and muffling the sound of the storm.

A hand gently touched Dani’s hip and her heart sped up as Jamie squeezed past her in the narrow space.

“Are there more of these?” Dani asked, hoping her voice would come out normal, the passage was narrow and as a result she had a perfect view of Jamie’s profile in the dim light, which proved to be very distracting.

“A few, they’re scattered about the place, most are pretty hard to find but they're bloody useful for getting around if you know where they are.” 

A thought struck Dani suddenly, “ _ Please _ don’t tell the kids about them.” Jamie’s clear laugh echoed along the passage.

“I’m serious,” Dani protested, “I’ll never find them again.” She shuddered at the thought of Miles and Flora disappearing into the walls of the old house.

“Don’t worry, Poppins,” they had reached a small door and Jamie turned to her, a smile dancing across her face, “My lips are sealed.”

She drew her fingers across her mouth in a zipping motion and Dani tried very hard not to focus on her lips as she did so. Jamie turned and pulled the door open.

“Hope you don’t mind the detour,” Jamie said as Dani stepped out after her. They were in a large kitchen, pots and pans hung from a metal frame suspended above the counter in the middle of the room, behind it was an enormous oven and to the right two industrial-sized fridges, “I was on my way to get a cuppa when I ran into you.”

“I don’t mind.” Dani was secretly thrilled to spend even more time with Jamie. 

The gardener offered to make her a ‘cuppa’ also which turned out to be tea. Dani had never really understood tea when Dominic had made it, preferring it sweet and cold in the American style. 

Jamie was appalled when Dani voiced this, “Sounds like a right nightmare. _ Cold tea? _ ” She had shaken her head in disbelief and the conversation had moved on. They sat and talked for a while, long after their empty cups had been pushed to the side and forgotten. Their conversation flowed so comfortably, Dani had to remind herself more than once that she had only met Jamie that afternoon.

A door at the end of the room swung open, “Oh- sorry.”

Dani felt disappointment well up in her chest at the interruption and turned in her seat to see Eddie, he looked a little like a candy cane, standing in the doorway in red and white striped pyjamas.

“No problem,” Jamie leaned back in her chair and Dani realised they had been leaning towards each other over the table. She reluctantly sat up, lifting her elbows off the wood.

“I was just getting some water,” Eddie strode across the room, opening the fridge and pulling a jug of water from the door. 

Jamie stood, “Should be getting to bed anyway, it’s late.”

Dani’s heart fell and she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. She blinked down at the numbers in front of her, shocked to see how late it had gotten. Time had slipped away as she talked with the brunette and it was well past midnight. Dani knew the kids were bound to be up in a few hours, excited for their first real day in England. She found herself hoping their jet lag would keep them asleep until late morning at least.

Jamie pushed her chair back and leaned over the table to collect the cups, walking over to the dishwasher. Dani stood, waiting to follow Jamie from the room but Eddie spoke.

“Dani?” 

“Yes?” Dani looked over at him, he was so tall the messy curls on his head brushed the underside of a brass pot that hung above him.

“Do you want me to show you the way to your room? It’s a big house, easy to get lost in,” he was looking at her hopefully.

“Well, Jamie offered-” Dani started but Eddie waved her off.

“Jamie’s in the guest room on the other side of the house. I’m only on the other side of the stairs to you, besides, I think we should get to know each other.”

Dani glanced at Jamie for help. But the gardener was extremely involved in making sure their two cups were set in the dishwasher correctly. 

“Oh well, if Jamie doesn't mind.” She hoped Jamie would mind.

Jamie closed the dishwasher and looked at Eddie, “No problem.” She shrugged and Eddie placed his now empty glass in the sink.

Dani’s heart fell and she tried to catch Jamie’s eye but the other woman had busied herself with stacking Eddie's empty cup in the dishwasher as well and putting away the jug he’d carelessly abandoned on the counter. Eddie was by her side and ushering her out of the room and Dani barely had time to throw a ‘Goodnight!’ over her shoulder.

If Jamie replied, Dani didn’t hear it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I know its been ages but I was camping! Future updates will be more frequent I swear.
> 
> If you follow If I Reach My Hand Out Will You Grab It? (My other Damie fic) there will be an update of that in the next few days!
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter!
> 
> To anyone who commented or left kudos, you are amazing and I appreciate you so much for doing so!

**Author's Note:**

> For the purposes of the story I have aged Henry up and made him Dominic’s dad, Eddie is his other son. Charlotte is Dani's sister. But hopefully, that made was pretty clear in the story!
> 
> The next chapter will be up in a few days!


End file.
